Friday, August 31, 2018

Holiday Weekend!

  Enjoy the long weekend, see you bright and early Tuesday morning.

work by Francoise Collandr

Compromised

AP: Lawyer was told Russia had ‘Trump over a barrel’

MSNBC - What Mueller May Know

W. Samuel Patten

Newsweek: Paul Manafort associate pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate with Mueller investigation

The Onion - Trump Teeters On White House Ledge Weighing Pros And Cons Of Killing Self Right Now To Distract From McCain’s Funeral

The Onion: Trump Teeters On White House Ledge Weighing Pros And Cons Of Killing Self Right Now To Distract From McCain’s Funeral

Voiceless

CNN: After more than 60 years, The Village Voice folds by Oliver Darcy

New Book

Coming out in Novemebr

Amazon: Proof Of Collusion - How Trump Betrayed America by Seth Abramson

Craven Hypocrites

Salon: Why do Republicans prefer a racist Democrat to John McCain? Because they’re craven hypocrites - Renaming the Senate office building for the late GOP hero seemed like a slam dunk. Then Republicans hit a new low by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Ryan Zinke Calls For Legislation To Slow Down Destruction Of Wildlife So He Can Truly Savor Every Minute Of It

The Onion: Ryan Zinke Calls For Legislation To Slow Down Destruction Of Wildlife So He Can Truly Savor Every Minute Of It

Leak

Scientific American: Small Air Leak Detected on International Space Station - Crew determines leak is in Russian segment of orbiting laboratory By Hanneke Weitering

Flipped

Business Insider: Cohen's lawyer says he's completely flipped and will give information of Trump-linked conspiracy with Russia by Alex Lockie
Lanny Davis, the attorney representing Michael Cohen, suggested on Wednesday that Cohen had knowledge of a conspiracy between President Donald Trump and Russia.

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Tracie Grimwood




Friday

  Watching news outlets last night, there is a general sense that today may become a day of 'big' news. There is general speculation that we may have another Mueller indictment this very afternoon. We shall see.

Chris Hayes - A President Donald Trump Exposed To Blackmail

Rachel Maddow - Donald Trump Frantic To Shore Up Base As Scandals Deepen, Insiders Flip

Stone

The Palmer Report: Did Roger Stone just threaten to murder Robert Mueller? by Bill Palmer

A Complete And Utter Disgrace

Guardian UK: Trump sits alone 'sulking' as Washington pays its respects to John McCain - The president will be absent for McCain’s memorial services – a clear sign of his failure to accept the responsibilities of a head of state

Slowly But Surely

Guardian UK: Donald Trump's approval rating sinks to lowest of his presidency - New survey shows first time the national displeasure rating has exceeded 50%, and a majority of support for Mueller’s Russia investigation

A Bunch Of Old Sods

NY Times: The Catholic Church Is Sick With Sex - Outside of condemning adulterous behavior, Christ never said anything about who you could love. By Timothy Egan
One pope was a father of 10 through multiple mistresses, a man who purchased the papacy with mule-loads of silver. It is said that Alexander VI, the most debauched of the Borgia pontiffs, elected in 1492, even had an affair with one of his daughters.

Another pope contracted syphilis during his reign — a “disease very fond of priests, especially rich priests,” as the saying went in Renaissance times. That was Julius II, known as “Il terrible.”

Biden Rips Trump A New One At McCain's Memorial

NY Times: At McCain’s Memorial, Tears, Laughs and Allusions to the Man Not Invited
Mr. Biden, a Democrat who served for over two decades with Mr. McCain in the Senate, said his former colleague offered “hate no safe harbor” and was willing to work with anybody who shared his moral code.

“He’d part company with you if you lacked the basic values of decency, respect, knowing that this project is bigger than yourself,” said Mr. Biden.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET the DOW is -71 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open significantly lower.

CNN: Coke gets some coffee; Tencent tumbles; NAFTA deal? by Mark Thompson

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Static And Moving


Blue Belt

The Atlantic: How the Democratic Party Can Turn the Sun Belt Blue - From Florida to Texas, November’s elections provide an opening for Democrats to shift the balance of power—and make up for lost ground in the heartland. by Ronald Brownstein

Buy Dirty

NY Times: National Enquirer Had Decades of Trump Dirt. He Wanted to Buy It All.

American Nightmare

Salon: 15 reasons why: Donald Trump’s supporters will never abandon him - Most journalists still don’t get it: Republicans will never abandon Donald Trump, and he’s the 2020 frontrunner by Chauncey DeVega

The Onion - Satan Refuses To Accept Any More Catholic Priests In Hell

The Onion: Satan Refuses To Accept Any More Catholic Priests In Hell

Growth

Scientific American: Growth Cocktail Helps Restore Spinal Connections in the Most Severe Injuries - Repairing damaged nerves in a rodent study marks a crucial first step toward bringing back lost movement By Emily Willingham

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Picasso




Rachel Maddow - Harried Staff Sees Donald Trump Unready For Possible Democratic House

Rachel Maddow - Democrats Alarmed At GOP Use Of Private Security Documents

Resist

The Palmer Report: Ron DeSantis just made life so much easier for the Resistance by Bill Palmer

Corrupt, Of Course

Guardian UK: Giuliani says firm defending corrupt Romanian-American is paying him - Trump’s attorney said he wrote to the Romanian president under a retainer paid by Freeh Group, who represent Gabriel Popoviciu
Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani is being paid to assist lawyers working to free a wealthy Romanian-American real estate magnate who was convicted and sentenced to prison over a corrupt land deal.

The White White House

Guardian UK: The very white house: intern photo shows decline in diversity under Trump - Photo of the administration’s summer interns has drawn scrutiny – and showed a stark contrast to the program under Barack Obama

A White Minority

NY Times: Who’s Afraid of a White Minority? The battle over how to project the future population of the United States has profound political implications. By Thomas B. Edsall
Currently, 14 to 15 percent of infants born in the United States are multiethnic or multiracial, a number that was just 11 to 12 percent in 2000. But despite the fact that most of those children have a white parent, inadequacies in the census classifications mean that the great majority of them are identified as nonwhites. This is important, because most partly white individuals behave like whites in sociological terms. They grow up in neighborhoods with many whites, have white friends as adults, think of themselves mostly as white or partly white, and marry whites.

Embrace Diversity

NY Times: Democratic Embrace of Diverse Candidates Collides With Barbed Politics of Trump Era

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are -66 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately lower.

CNN: Amazon on fire; NAFTA progress; Emerging market pain by Charles Riley

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Inferior


Yoann Bourgeois After Show A La Philharmonie De Paris

Why

The Atlantic: Why Google Doesn't Rank Right-Wing Outlets Highly - Mainstream media organizations are better-resourced and do far more reporting than smaller, explicitly politicized outlets. by Alexis C. Madrigal

The Tapes

The Daily Beast: Why Is the Most Powerful Man in Hollywood Hiding the Other Trump Tapes? For all the talk of the ‘Apprentice’ tapes, including the alleged ‘N-word’ one, precious little has been spoken of the Miss Universe archive—controlled by superagent Ari Emanuel. by Tarpley Hitt

Exit

Salon: President Donald Trump says White House counsel Don McGahn will exit the White House this fall - White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claims there is no backstory to McGahn’s imminent departure by Shira Tarlo

The Onion - New Ted Cruz Campaign Ad Features His Kids Begging For Beto O’Rourke To Be Their New Dad

The Onion: New Ted Cruz Campaign Ad Features His Kids Begging For Beto O’Rourke To Be Their New Dad

Dumb

Chicago Tribune: Google is TOTALLY biased against Trump. Just search 'dumb presidential tweets.'

Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Lara Hawthorne




Lawrence O'Donnell - British Intel Snubs Representative Devin Nunes Requests

Lawrence O'Donnell - Donald Trump Angry At Google, Silent On Puerto Rico And Border Crises

Midnight Madness

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump’s midnight madness by Bill Palmer

Read This

Guardian UK: How to be human: the man who was raised by wolves - Abandoned as a child, Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja survived alone in the wild for 15 years. But living with people proved to be even more difficult. By Matthew Bremner
His story is that he was abandoned as a child of seven, in 1953, and left to fend for himself. Alone in the wild, as he tells it, he was raised by wolves, who protected and sheltered him. With no one to talk to, he lost the use of language, and began to bark, chirp, screech and howl.

Twelve years later, police found him hiding in the mountains, wrapped in a deerskin and with long, matted hair. He tried to flee, but the officers caught him, tied his hands and brought him to the nearest village. Eventually a young priest brought him to the hospital ward of a convent in Madrid, where he stayed for a year and received a remedial education from the nuns.

Sick Man

Guardian UK: Donald Trump warns of ‘violence’ if Republicans lose midterms - President was heard urging Christian ministers to sway voters and alluding to leftwing violence in leaked audio

A Truly Sadistic Man

NY Times: Well, at Least Sheriff Joe Isn’t Going to Congress - Arpaio’s loss in Arizona’s Senate Republican primary is a fitting end to the public life of a truly sadistic man. By Michelle Cottle

Flori-duh

NY Times: A Black Progressive and a Trump Acolyte Win Florida Governor Primaries

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are -2 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open slightly lower.

CNN: Tech vs. Trump; Musk tweets; Aston Martin IPO by Charles Riley

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

As Sick As It Gets

NBC News: In closed-door meeting, Trump told Christian leaders he got rid of a law. He didn't. According to recorded excerpts of private remarks, he said evangelicals were "one election away from losing everything." by Aliza Nadi and Ken Dilanian
"The level of hatred, the level of anger is unbelievable," he said. "Part of it is because of some of the things I've done for you and for me and for my family, but I've done them. … This Nov. 6 election is very much a referendum on not only me, it's a referendum on your religion, it's a referendum on free speech and the First Amendment."

If the GOP loses, he said, "they will overturn everything that we've done and they'll do it quickly and violently, and violently. There's violence. When you look at Antifa and you look at some of these groups — these are violent people."

'Particle'

Jim Sande

One

The Hill: Poll: Cruz leads O'Rourke by 1 point in Texas Senate race By Justin Wise

'The Darkening'

Claudia Schmidt on pianolin

Skills

Medium: The Most Important Skill For Interacting With People
“When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble: … and you will be right more than half the time.”—Henry Eyring

'Two'

NY Daily News: Stormy Daniels claims Donald Trump lasted 'two minutes' in bed By Gina Salamone

Democrats Got Women, Republicans Do Not

Salon: The Year of the Woman in electoral politics? Maybe so — but not for Republicans - Record numbers of women are running in 2018, but the number of Republican women in office will probably decline by Amanda Marcotte

The Onion - High School Bully Ready To Unload Summer Vacation’s Worth Of Abuse

The Onion: High School Bully Ready To Unload Summer Vacation’s Worth Of Abuse

Whale Poop

Scientific American: How Whale Poop Could Counter Calls to Resume Commercial Hunting - Whales’ fecal matter feeds the ocean, giving conservationists another argument for saving them By Mike Shanahan
...whale excrement provides key nutrients that fuel the marine food chain, and that it also contributes to the ocean carbon cycle.

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Hitotsuyama, the sculptures are made from paper




Nicolle Wallace - John McCain In Death Was Able To Shame Donald Trump In Life

Rachel Maddow - Paul Manafort Looked To Cut A Deal With Mueller In Second Trial

Please

The Palmer Report: Here’s what happens if Donald Trump Jr does get indicted by Bill Palmer

John McCain's Farewell Letter

Guardian UK: John McCain's farewell letter to America - Following the senator’s death, the following text was read at a news conference at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix
“We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been."

The 'Shadow' President

Guardian UK: Mike Pence: power, religion and America's 'shadow president'

One Can Hope

NY Times: The End of Impunity - What Democrats can do with subpoena power. By Michelle Goldberg
Under a rarely used 1924 law passed after the Teapot Dome scandal, leaders of three congressional committees — the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation — can each demand to see the president’s tax returns.

Mexico In, Canada Out

NY Times: Trump Reaches Revised Trade Deal With Mexico, Threatening to Leave Out Canada
...suggesting he was ready to jettison Canada from the trilateral trade pact if the country did not get on board quickly.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +66 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Trump vs. Canada; Toyota's Uber deal; Tiffany earnings by Alanna Petroff

Monday, August 27, 2018

'Till Death'

Japanese Breakfast

Sharp Objects

The Daily Beast: Inside the Shocking ‘Sharp Objects’ Finale: How Three Words Change Everything - Who’s the killer? How the twists and turns in the ‘Sharp Objects’ finale both shock and put the finishing details on this searing portrait of the cycle of female rage. SPOILERS! by Kevin Fallon

Nothing Changes

Salon: Nothing Donald Trump can do will drive his voters away: If last week didn’t do it, what will? Multiple convictions of his inner circle, with more coming. Personal insults to a Republican hero. Nothing changes by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - White House Releases Moving Statement Honoring Woman Who Called Obama An Arab In 2008

The Onion: White House Releases Moving Statement Honoring Woman Who Called Obama An Arab In 2008

Breat Milk

Scientific American: Marijuana Found in Breast Milk 6 Days after Use - Recent findings suggest use of the drug during pregnancy, although rare, is on the rise By Jenny Gold

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Marc Chagall



MSNBC - Allen Weisselberg Immunity Likely Means Prosecutors Seek 'Bigger Fish'

Morning Joe - 'He Is Worried By Lies'

Junior, Please

The Palmer Report: Roger Stone says a member of Donald Trump’s family is about to be indicted by Bill Palmer

His Biggest Mistake

Guardian UK: John McCain opened Pandora’s box – Sarah Palin came out, but Trump was right behind her - The senator regretted his choice of running mate. In 2008, no one could have imagined what it would mean

Rift Indeed

Guardian UK: Trump-McCain rift clear as president sends brief tweet and heads to play golf - No White House statement issued in hours after McCain’s death - Trump tweets familiar complaints and boasts about economy

A Parting Message

NY Times: John McCain’s Parting Message: Our Greatness Is in Peril - Today’s Republican Party is the biggest threat to the country that McCain served and loved. He offered an alternative. By David Leonhardt

The Petty President

NY Times: As a Nation Mourns McCain, Trump Is Conspicuously Absent
The president did not make even the most cursory public show of respect on Sunday for Mr. McCain, against whom he had continued to indulge a personal grievance even as it was apparent that the Arizona Republican was losing his battle with brain cancer.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are +147 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open significantly higher.

CNN: Tesla reaction; NAFTA talks; Didi in trouble by Alanna Petroff

A Coming Hell

Axios: Scoop: Republicans secretly study their coming hell

Meditation And Depression

Lion's Roar: How does a meditator deal with episodes of major depression? by Narayan Helen Liebenson, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Blanche Hartman

Downfall

The Atlantic: Trump’s Contempt for the Law Will Be His Downfall - The president can keep crying “witch hunt,” but it won’t stop the evidence against him from mounting. by Bob Bauer

Friday, August 24, 2018

Weekend!

  Enjoy the weekend, see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Monet

It Will

The Atlantic: How This Will End - Sooner or later, tyrants are always abandoned by their followers. by Eliot A. Cohen
But it does seem more likely than it once was that he will go down in disgrace.

Samples

  I just learned how to do this. These are samples of some of my music work from various CD's I've put out over the years. Some of it is orchestral work, some just guitar, some electronic. This is from Spotify, it's all about streaming these days.

From 'Silver': Phenomena

From 'Silver': Oop Ta Ti Ta

From 'Harvest Bell Ride': Fire And Swimming

From Particle: Council

From Il Progetto d'Amore: Illimitato Saltarello

From 'Silver': Silver

Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven...

The Independent: Donald Trump told 'the countdown to impeachment has already started' by Tom Embury-Dennis

Another Nail In Trump's Coffin

NBC News: Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg given immunity by prosecutors to testify Prosecutors say Weisselberg told another executive to designate a reimbursement to Cohen for the Stormy Daniels hush-money payment as "legal expenses." by Tom Winter

The Palmer Report: Allen Weisselberg immunity deal means Donald Trump is toast by Daniel Cotter

Follow Me

Follow Jim Sande on Spotify

Firing Sessions

Salon: How soon will Donald Trump fire Jeff Sessions? After the midterms, he can get away with it - Republican senators send Trump a clear signal: Wait till November to seize full control at the Justice Department by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - American Classmates Having Difficulty Understanding Better Educated Foreign Exchange Student

The Onion: American Classmates Having Difficulty Understanding Better Educated Foreign Exchange Student

Women In Space

Scientific American: Forget “Manned” Missions—Females May Be More Mentally Resilient in Deep Space - A controversial new study in lab mice hints at sex-based differences in cosmic ray–induced cognitive decline By John Wenz

Have An Excellent Friday

work by Debbie Miller, who makes it look too easy.





Lawrence O'Donnell - Trump Talks Impeachment, As Trump Allies Talk To Fed Prosecutors

Morning Joe - What David J. Pecker's Cooperation Could Mean

Morning Joe - President Donald Trump Should Consider Resigning, Says Spiro Agnew Attorney

Pecker

The Palmer Report: Pecker by Bill Palmer

Kathleen Williams

Guardian UK: She has a camper van, he has a private jet – can a Democrat take Montana?
Kathleen Williams is the Democratic nominee taking on one of the wealthiest members of Congress for the state’s sole House seat, which the GOP has held for nearly three decades

LA Killings

Guardian UK: Hundreds dead, no one charged: the uphill battle against LA police killings
Police shot Mack, a 30-year-old father of two, in the middle of a mall on the afternoon of 10 April, as he was holding a kitchen knife and having a mental health crisis. Less than 24 hours later, officers arrived at a park and killed Kenneth Ross Jr, another black resident who struggled with mental illness and was said to be fleeing when police shot him with a military-style rifle.

Slime Ball

NY Times: David Pecker, Chief of National Enquirer’s Publisher, Is Said to Get Immunity in Trump Inquiry
It was unclear on Thursday whether prosecutors had granted Mr. Pecker immunity for his involvement in the illegal campaign contributions, or simply agreed not to prosecute him based on the information he provided. One of the people briefed on the matter cautioned that Mr. Pecker could still face scrutiny.

White Supremacist

NY Times: Trump’s South Africa Tweet Seems to Embrace Racist Narrative on Land Dispute
...he embraced a common talking point among white supremacists who claim white genocide is being perpetrated in South Africa and around the world.

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are +53 and the price of oil is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Central bankers meet; Tech summit; Samsung's new smartphone by Alanna Petroff

Thursday, August 23, 2018

The Trump Swamp

NBC News: Trump loyalist Duncan Hunter joins Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort on growing list of early supporters felled by scandal - For so many of the political and legal problems that plague this White House, the president has only himself to blame.

Just Two, Right


Portrayed Through The Tabloid Eyes


'My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes'

  This is a beautiful short film. A son tries to piece together, make sense of, and understand his father through the stories, remembrances, possessions, left behind after the father dies in his early 50s.

Pecker

Vanity Fair: “Holy Shit, I Thought Pecker Would Be the Last One to Turn”: Trump’s National Enquirer Allies Are the Latest to Defect - David Pecker and Dylan Howard corroborated Michael Cohen’s account implicating the president in a federal crime. And Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis says there are more revelations to come. by Gabriel Sherman

Myth

The Daily Beast: This Idea That a President Can’t Be Indicted Is a Myth - There’s no law saying a president can’t be indicted. Just a couple of Justice Department memos. And they can be rewritten. by Dean Obeidallah

Pardon

Salon: Donald Trump’s unpardonable endgame: Does the president have unlimited power to pardon anyone? Will Trump try to get out of this mess by pardoning himself? That’s what the founding fathers wanted to avoid by Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg

The Onion - Trump Boys Frantically Burning Stacks Of Printed-Out Emails To Eliminate Paper Trail

The Onion: Trump Boys Frantically Burning Stacks Of Printed-Out Emails To Eliminate Paper Trail

Scam

Scientific American: "Truth Isn't Truth": Giuliani Borrows from the Climate Denial/Tobacco Company Playbook By suggesting that “alternative facts” are just as valid as actual facts, he attempts to pull off an all-too-familiar scam By Gleb Tsipursky

Have An Excellent Thursday

work by Marius Borgeaud 1861 - 1924




Brian Williams - Candidate Donald Trump Said Hillary Clinton Would Have Constant Legal Woes

Morning Joe - Michael Cohen Threatens To Leverage Secrets Against President Donald Trump

Meltdown

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump has berserk meltdown at one in the morning by Bill Palmer

'Livin' On The Edge'

Aerosmith

Cease And Desist

Guardian UK: Steven Tyler orders Donald Trump to stop playing Aerosmith music at rallies - After Livin’ on the Edge was played at a West Virginia rally this week, Tyler’s lawyers have sent another cease-and-desist letter to Trump’s office

Trump Is Delusional

Guardian UK: Defiant Donald Trump accuses Michael Cohen of making up hush money stories - Ex-fixer says Trump directed him to make payments and lawyer says Cohen is ready to tell all he knows about Russian interference

He's Crazy

Guardian UK: Trump says 'flipping' in criminal cases should be illegal and warns against impeachment - Trump commented on his former lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty in federal court, and warned that impeaching him would cause an economic crash

Obsessed

NY Times: Trump’s Growing Obsession With the ‘Witch Hunt'

Anatomy

NY Times: Anatomy of a Crime: Sex, Hush Money and a Trump Fixer’s Guilty Plea
For the first time, prosecutors said that the tabloid publisher American Media Inc. had been involved in deals to buy the silence of both Ms. Clifford and Ms. McDougal. And as early as August 2015, prosecutors revealed, Mr. Cohen communicated with the chairman of American Media, David J. Pecker, who agreed to turn the organization’s tip line into a trip wire that could detect potential trouble for Mr. Trump. Mr. Pecker agreed to “help deal with negative stories,” about Mr. Trump’s “relationships with women by, among other things, assisting the campaign in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided.”

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. DOW futures are -7 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open slightly lower.

CNN: US-China trade war ramps up; Stocks steady; Alibaba earnings by Alanna Petroff

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Train Wreck

The Daily Beast: Manafort, Cohen, Omarosa: This Is How It Always Ends for Trump’s Scuzzy Friends - Far from taking a bullet, Cohen shot a proverbial one at the Con Man in Chief, and Manafort may end up doing the same. The train wreck of Trump’s life is finally being exposed. by Rick Wilson

Of Course He Denies It

The Daily Beast: Trump Denies Telling Cohen to Pay Off Women, Despite Tape - But Michael Cohen’s audio recordings tell a very different story. by Matt Wilstein

'Jam Man'

Chet Atkins - you've heard this a million times.

Pardon


Yet

Salon: President Donald Trump’s worst day yet: Manafort, Cohen fall and the walls are closing in - Trump seems subdued after his longtime lawyer implicates him in a crime. But does this shift Republican attitudes? by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Mueller Immediately Regrets Coercing Michael Cohen To Flip On Trump After Having To Spend Time With Him

The Onion: Mueller Immediately Regrets Coercing Michael Cohen To Flip On Trump After Having To Spend Time With Him - ‘Jesus, I Can’t Handle Dealing With This Fucking Idiot,’ Announces Special Counsel

Attacks On Female Climate Scientists

Scientific American: As Climate Scientists Speak Out, Sexist Attacks Are on the Rise - Female researchers have faced everything from personal insults to death and rape threats By Scott Waldman, Niina Heikkinen
Some suggested that it coincides with rising societal tensions over gender and race, laid bare by President Trump’s political rise.

Egg Criminals

  If you live outside of New York's Capital District, The Egg is a unique building in Albany N.Y. usually used for performances and concerts.

News 10: 4 arrested after climbing on roof of the Egg

Total Abdication

VOX: Michael Cohen’s guilty plea underscores congressional Republicans’ total abdication of responsibility - There’s a lot more worth investigating in Trumpworld. By Matthew Yglesias

A Crook

The Atlantic: The President Is a Crook - The country now faces the choice between the Trump presidency and the rule of law. by David Frum

Cheater, Liar, Felon


Have An Excellent Wednesday

work by Adelsteen Normann 1848-1918



Morning Joe - Michael Cohen Attorney - President Donald Trump Committed A Crime, No Dispute

Morning Joe - Senator Elizabeth Warren - President Trump WH Most Corrupt In Living Memory

One By One

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump’s GOP allies are getting picked off one by one by Bill Palmer

The Trump Swamp

Guardian UK: How many of Trump's close advisers have been convicted – and who are they? Since his election, five of Donald Trump’s key advisers have admitted crimes or been convicted

Turmoil

Guardian UK: Trump turmoil latest: lawyer says Cohen has information regarding Russian conspiracy - live - Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s conviction and ex-lawyer Michael Cohen’s guilty plea plunge president into potential legal jeopardy

Manafort

NY Times: What the Manafort Verdict Means - It’s Robert Mueller’s biggest victory yet, in one of the most successful special counsel investigations in history. By Noah Bookbinder, Barry Berke and Norman L. Eisen

Updated This Morning - Cohen

NY Times: Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction By William K. Rashbaum, Maggie Haberman, Ben Protess and Jim Rutenberg

The Market On Wednesay

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET the DOW is -28 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately lower.

CNN: Trump risks; US-China trade talks; Bull record by Alanna Petroff

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Directed By Trump

New Yorker: Michael Cohen Says That Donald Trump Directed His Crimes By Eric Lach

In Sum


At Trump's Direction

NY Times: Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction
...Mr. Trump had directed him to arrange payments to two women during the 2016 campaign to keep them from speaking publicly about affairs they said they had with Mr. Trump.

The Worst Is Yet To Come

CNN: The worst hour of Donald Trump's presidency just happened - Analysis by Chris Cillizza

The Borowitz Report - Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty After Giuliani Offers to Be His Lawyer

New Yorker: Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty After Giuliani Offers to Be His Lawyer By Andy Borowitz

Felons


Guilty

MSN: Manafort guilty on 8 charges

Plea

NY Times: Trump’s Former Fixer, Michael Cohen, Reaches a Plea Agreement Over Payments to Women

Steele

Guardian UK: Author of Trump-Russia dossier wins libel case in US court - Suit against Christopher Steele by three Russian oligarchs thrown out by judge

Plea Deal

USA Today: Report: Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen reaches plea deal with feds

'Rollin And Tumblin'

Jeff Beck and Imogen Heap

Welcome Back And Goodbye

Salon: Trump’s immigrant family separation strategy 2.0 targets children as they return to school - Trump policy takes aim at families with American children who reside with at least one parent who is undocumented by Bob Hennelly

The Onion - Ingenious Political Analyst Points Out Irony Of Melania Trump Speaking Out Against Cyber Bullying When Her Husband Donald Trump

The Onion: Ingenious Political Analyst Points Out Irony Of Melania Trump Speaking Out Against Cyber Bullying When Her Husband Donald Trump

Melting

Vanity Fair: “They’re Squeezing Don Jr. Right Now”: As the Mueller Siege Tightens, Trump’s Twitter Rage Crests - White House counsel Don McGahn’s interviews with Mueller have rattled Trump to his core. “Total meltdown,” one outside adviser said of his mood, while a Republican ally described him as “extremely frustrated.” by Gabriel Sherman
Over the weekend, Trump blamed Giuliani for the entire Russia probe. According to a person to whom the conversation was described, Trump loudly said to his lawyer: “It’s your fault!

The Trump Legacy - Your SSI And Your Medicare

CNBC: A leading Republican urges reform for Medicare and Social Security as deficits balloon after the GOP's tax cut by John Harwood

Have An Excellent Tuesday

work by Rubyetc




Brian Williams - Donald Trump Says He Could Run The Mueller Investigation If He Wanted To

Rachel Maddow - Beware Of Media Spin As President Donald Trump Scandals Intensify

Cohen

The Palmer Report: Michael Cohen sends a huge hint that he’s flipping on Donald Trump by Bill Palmer

More Coal Emissions On The Way

Guardian UK: Trump set to roll back Obama-era regulation on coal emissions - Plan would allow individual states should decide how, or even if, they should stem carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants

Rick Wilson's New Book

Guardian UK: Everything Trump Touches Dies review: a poison dart in the neck of the Republican monster
“Everything about Trump’s opening speech was moral poison to anyone who believed in any part of the American dream. Everything about his nationalist hucksterism smelled like … a knock on the door of authoritarian statism.”

The right is “merrily on board with a lunatic with delusions of godhood”.

“There’s an odds-on chance that our grandchildren will hear this tale while hunched over guttering fires in the ruins of a radioactive Mad Max-style hellscape.”

Corrupt

NY Times: When Power Corrupts - Institutional breakdown on display in the Catholic Church and the Oval Office. By Gail Collins and Bret Stephens
The idea of the president revoking the security clearances of his critics is slimy to the core. And if he ever does it to a current government employee who’s involved in an investigation of the White House — that would be where you do have to start talking impeachment.

Conservarives Targeted

NY Times: New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Groups, Microsoft Says
The Russian military intelligence unit that sought to influence the 2016 election appears to have a new target: conservative American think tanks that have broken with President Trump and are seeking continued sanctions against Moscow, exposing oligarchs or pressing for human rights.

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. At 9:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +35 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Trump criticizes Powell; Stocks steady; Kohl's earnings by Alanna Petroff

Monday, August 20, 2018

'Horror Musical Instrument'

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Etzanoa

LA Times: Archaeologists explore a rural field in Kansas, and a lost city emerges By David Kelly
...he believes to be the lost city of Etzanoa, home to perhaps 20,000 people between 1450 and 1700.

Shivs

The Daily Beast: Trump Shivs Brennan, and Many 2016 ‘Conservatives Against Trump’ See No Evil - Journalists who once knew better are clearing space for senators to justify the indefensible, like pulling a former CIA chief’s clearance since he ‘has not been a friend’ to Trump. by Michael Tomasky

The Grifters

Politico: DOJ Sues Ivanka’s Ex-Business Partner for Massive Fraud - Moshe Lax and members of his family allegedly conspired to deprive the U.S. of $60 million. By BEN SCHRECKINGER

McGahn

Salon: Why White House counsel Don McGahn has Donald Trump extremely worried - McGahn talked to Robert Mueller’s team for 30 hours. That’s a huge blow for Trump, and the reasons why run deep by Heather Digby Parton

The Onion - Vatican On Sex Abuse Report - ‘Listen, No Normal Person Is Going To Sign Up To Be A Priest’

The Onion: Vatican On Sex Abuse Report: ‘Listen, No Normal Person Is Going To Sign Up To Be A Priest’

Dishonest

Scientific American: Honest Liars: Dishonest Leaders May Be Perceived as Authentic - Donald Trump’s election suggests supporters view an outsider’s lies as symbolic protests against the establishment By Matthew Hutson
The researchers did tie the study to the 2016 election by surveying 402 participants, who were told that one of Trump's tweets about global warming being a hoax had been definitively debunked. Trump supporters were more likely than Clinton supporters to see the tweet as not literal but as a challenge to the elite.

'End Of The Line'

The Traveling Wilburys

Have An Excellent Monday

work by Guillermo Gomez y Gil 1862 - 1942



Morning Joe - The Roots Of President Donald Trump's Treatment Of Intel Agencies

Ari Melber - Craig Unger - Donald Trump Is A Russian Asset In The White House

Rat

The Palmer Report: Donald Trump is a narcissistic sociopath, and it just hurt him badly by Bill Palmer

Orwellian

Guardian UK: 'Truth isn't truth': Giuliani trumps 'alternative facts' with new Orwellian outburst - President’s lawyer keeps up attack on Mueller investigation - NBC host Chuck Todd: ‘This is going to become a bad meme’- Trump invokes Nixon and McCarthy in New York Times rant

Attacks

Guardian UK: Trump attacks 'disgraced' Mueller and rails against 'phony' obstruction claims - President continues to assail Mueller and Russia investigation and says ‘if you FIGHT BACK, they scream Obstruction!’

Charles M. Blow's Latest

NY Times: Nixon, Clinton and Trump - The more Trump is cornered, the more he mirrors Richard Nixon. By Charles M. Blow
For me, it is clear that there was at least an attempt by members of the Trump team to conspire with Russians to influence the elections.

Cohen

NY Times: Michael Cohen, Trump’s Ex-Lawyer, Investigated for Bank Fraud Over $20 Million
...zeroed in on well over $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses that he and his family own...

...whether Mr. Cohen violated campaign finance or other laws by helping to arrange financial deals to secure the silence of women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump.

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. At 9:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are +39 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.

CNN: Pepsi buys SodaStream; Stocks rising; Estee Lauder earnings by Alanna Petroff

World Class

Quartz: How to get a world-class education for free on the internet By Amy X. Wang

The Same


Friday, August 17, 2018

Weekend!

  Enjoy the weekend, see you bright and early Monday morning.

work by Monet

Déjà Vu